


caffeine addict

by hanamurasaki



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Food as a Metaphor for Love, M/M, One Shot, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 16:54:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11189364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanamurasaki/pseuds/hanamurasaki
Summary: Now that he thinks about it almost every time he's with Akira coffee is somehow involved.





	caffeine addict

 

Shido had been defeated, the moment Akechi had been waiting for was supposed to much more… _Fulfilling?_ Yet his father went down in such a boring way. Akechi had fantasies where he finally revealed the truth of their relationship, Shido finally sitting in the position he’d always wanted, and during that conference with all of Japan watching he would suffer a mental shutdown. It would be even worse than Okumura’s; then of course the next day all the details of Shido’s involvement would be leaked. Or maybe it would be leaked the day of... Akechi hadn’t worked out all of the details of his revenge plan in all honesty.

He lived two years singlemindedly focusing on that goal; and he would’ve completed it had it not been for Akira Kurusu. Someone he befriended on sheer will for the sake of changing it up, the boy didn’t really stand out with his appearance; but then again always being side by side with two blondes did make him pop out. There were also his words.

Akira Kurusu had an interesting personality which is what initially attracted the detective to him in the first place. Snarky yet serious. He rarely spoke, but when he did it managed to always get everybody’s eyes on him. He was smart, brave, and basically the type of person Goro created in the public’s eye.

He was jealous.

Honestly, Goro was pathetic. He was narrow minded, a crook solving cases he had already created, he was just honestly a fake. Akira was like a light to him, somebody who didn’t care about false pretenses or trying to appease him. Akira was blunt about what he said, he genuinely saw Akechi as his friend. If only it could’ve stayed that way. If only...

 

* * *

 

He saw him in front of Okumura Foods; out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t oblivious, Akechi knew Akira’s friends didn’t like him, and it was susceptible that they were the phantom thieves. In his mind a little hope wished to stay oblivious to the truth, if by chance he wasn’t then they could still be friends.

Of course that hope was extinguished once he realized things weren’t meant to be. Akira was Joker, huh? By the looks of it he couldn’t tell if it was him or Makoto that was the leader. There was also the… Cat? Akechi couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he was looking at. Then a thought crossed his mind. One time he did see little blue eyes poking out of Joker’s school bag, but he just assumed it was a trick of his eyes since it was the morning and he was still tired.

Akechi stays his distance from the group. He’s worried about being caught by Oracle, he can’t properly size up her abilities so he needs to not be reckless and avoid a confrontation.

 

* * *

 

When he kills Okumura, it’s done in cold blood from appearances. Akechi wonders why he doesn’t hesitate. Joker just told Okumura to better himself, and that's how a change of heart worked..? In the back of his mind he wonders would it have been different to give people a change of heart? If he had known… Couldn’t it have all been avoided?

That night Akechi wants to vomit. He’s mad at himself, a change of heart was so fucking easy yet he killed how many people? He told himself that it was all for the sake of killing Mayasoshi Shido, he was a monster that ruined Akechi’s life. Practically killed his mother.

He was a monster wasn’t he? He was no better than Shido and because of this Akechi can’t help but laugh. There was always that popular saying that bothered him, even though he was positive it was true no matter how much he denied it.

Like father like son.

 

* * *

 

Akechi directed his hate towards Shido onto Akira, no matter how many times he visited LeBlanc the young detective always felt something in the pit of his stomach. He hated Akira is what he convinced himself.

Akira had a group of friends who liked him so much, Akira had what Akechi assumed to be a family _(The owner of LeBlanc was his relative, right?)_ , he had everything good. He didn’t have to deal with the societal expectations that Akechi dealt with from the media, to Shido, to school.

Akechi tried to ignore it, but he knew it. He honestly was pathetic. Akira stood in the way of his plans and therefore was an enemy to him, eventually he would have to get rid of him. In the beginning Akechi felt remorse for the first few people he experimented on. Overtime he became used to it, and wondered.

Would Akira hate him for this? Of course this question existed beforehand; but back then Akira was a friend who was a normal high schooler. Now he is a phantom thief working against him. He sits at the counter staring at the TV, a quiz show like usual. The retro cafe with the stuffy atmosphere, the scent of coffee beans that smells better than the police building.

It’s not until somebody’s hands wave in front of his eyes that he blinks.

Akechi shifts his eyes over towards the boy in the green apron.

A tilted head, black disheveled hair falling in place, and glasses that look like they could fall off any moment. That was Akira.

“Your coffee’s going to get cold.” Akira points at the mug and does a stretch, honestly reminding him of a cat.

“Ah, I know. I was lost in thought my apologies.” Akechi smiles at him, yet Akira looks as if he has something to say but stops. A large amount of lukewarm coffee is swallowed up as he ponders about what’s wrong with his… _friend_.

Akechi knows there’s nothing on his face, and guessing from the way he’s looking down at the floor. The slightly opened mouth that once again gets clamped shut. The deductive reasoning arrives at one conclusion: Akira is worried about something.

“... Is something wrong?” Akechi finally asks his mug meets the counter of the empty shop, leaving a tense yet short silence as Akira struggles for the right words.

“Are you okay Akechi?” He finally asks, his right arm bends and begins touching the back of his neck, probably a nervous habit. He quickly follows it up, “Lately you look like some kind of corpse whenever you’re in here.” Oh. Goro realizes why he’s worried about him, it’s because he was being transparent about his emotions wasn’t he?

…

…

How shameful.

In an attempt to flip the conversation he asks the question right back at Akira. He always has dark circles under his eyes, his hair’s a mess, and he’s always checking his phone. There’s also the fact he’s probably stressed with the negative publicity the Phantom Thieves have gotten, though Akechi wouldn’t add that.

“Are you interrogating me?” Akira laughs, Sojiro’s gone so it was just the both of them in that cafe. With the buzz from the TV, cushioned seats, and the bean aroma. It truly was a comfortable place.

Looking back on it, he should’ve been more careful.

But he doesn’t know what the future holds for him, the conversation continues with Akira’s jokes. It doesn’t end well. On his way out he gets a call from that shitty excuse of a father.

That night he couldn’t tell if the bitter taste in his mouth came from the coffee.

 

* * *

 

When he joins them in the casino he was taken aback a bit. Joker had always been talented. He navigated the casino without a problem, and there he gained insight on how they functioned. It was actually quite simple.

Joker was the leader since his personas could change at will and because of that he was essentially the strongest person in battle and Akechi knew that if he fought him in the Metaverse he’d have no chance at winning. He ignored it, but he was jealous. Extremely jealous.

Makoto, Futaba, and Morgana were formidable as well. Though the threat they posed was nothing more than flies without the cohesive leader. Makoto was probably the most intellegent, other than Joker. Futaba provided a wide range of supportive abilities; it was actually rather useful, but Akechi was fine on his own. Morgana was odd, Akechi is positive he’d be able to fight him outside of the Metaverse actually. He was apart of the brains, he knew a lot more than that woman who was studying cognitive pscience did, if Akechi was to deduct why he was probably a shadow or a demon who managed to gain a sentient understanding.

Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Haru were a lot more easier. Ryuji practically gives away the fact he’s a phantom thief with how loud he is, Ann was a horrible liar (Akechi didn’t know he wasn’t any better than her), and Yusuke was odd but easy to deal with. Haru meanwhile was in public eye; his own fault. She was naive to an extent, but not as bumbling as the others. If he hadn’t approached them with the fake calling card on the principal, they could have imploded themselves.

But he had to get rid of the Phantom Thieves for the sake of his goals. In the saferoom everybody had been doing their own things. Well actually everybody had gotten injured so now they were resting.

Futaba, Yusuke, and Haru seemed to be talking about what defined art. Ann, Morgana, Ryuji, and Makoto were playing Go Fish _(Akechi’s deductions lead him to believe who suggested playing it)_ at the table. Akechi sat off to the side, admittedly not wanting to get too involved with them. He had to gain their trust, but he had to think about his plans with the odd variable in the mix.

With everyone else it would’ve been easier to deal with all eight of them no problem, but there was a person who was in the way. And as if speaking of the devil the wild card approached him. Akechi rose an eyebrow at what was in his hand.

“Coffee? For me?” Akechi asked, judging by the Mementos training he went through the other day Akira seemed to be like a grandmother. With a bag full of sweet drinks and candies, then again according to reports from some undercover investigators he worked at several jobs... Maybe he was just a jack of all trades now that Goro thought about it.

A jack of all trades huh.

“No, I’m holding it out to the plant.” Akira sarcastically gives his catlike grin, “You look exhausted so unless you want to not fight I suggest you take it, like, now.” It seems he was genuinely concerned about Akechi. This is good actually, they seem to trust him.

_He should’ve known he was being played._

“Thank you.” He gives the same usual smile, but Akira notices he’s tired.

“No problem, there’s like several more if you need it.” Akira suggests to the table. _Were they all from LeBlanc…?_ No matter the case that’s a lot of to-go cups.

Akira spoke to him for the rest of the five minute break, it was about simple stuff really, he was recommending books he read. Something about an older novel reminded Akira of Akechi, a detective novel, there were also a few others but he seemed to like the first one the most.

That time the coffee tasted very sweet, he could taste the vanilla creamer. Maybe this was Joker’s way of trying to get him energized again?

 

* * *

 

After that though it all went to hell, he thought he got away with it. Like usual. But this time he underestimated his opponent. He didn’t know why he’d expect Akira to die easily, after all in shows like Featherman the hero always triumphs. But in the real world that doesn’t happen, it’s always a battle of wits and strengths. Just this time Akechi happened to lose, while being morally wrong.

Now that he thinks about it, Akechi was always attracted by that when it came to Akira. He genuinely felt unreal to him, Akira was cool and good looking. Honestly if he was to be a detective, Akechi would have been pushed out of the limelight. Because, compared to him Akechi isn’t that smart.

He almost didn’t make it out of the cruise alive. He wanted a redemption yet fate was a cruel mistress who strung him along with a worn thread. It felt guilty to say, but sometimes he believes it would’ve been better if died there. That way he wouldn’t have to feel the regret eating away at him constantly, looking in the mirror to see the reflection of a murderer.

The jacket he put on was in an attempt to hide from onlookers, and his normal coat was too noticeable. It was December 22nd, there were a lot of people out. They seemed to be distracted after all it was almost Christmas the cold weather and storefronts made sure to show it off. This year was different from his previous two though.

From Shibuya to Yongenjaya it all felt like a blur, the trains he took made him wonder if this was the daily hassle Akira always dealt with. No. He dealt with a lot of daily hassles, and it was all because of a no good father and his no good son.

He stands outside of LeBlanc for what feels like an eternity, in reality it’s only three minutes. The sign says open yet there’s nobody inside. The lights are on, and since Sojiro isn’t inside. It’s probably just Akira… and Morgana. That cat really was glued to him.

His hands grip the cold metal, and the bell rings. At first he hesitates and wonders if he should just go, but then he heard several thumps above the ceiling that quickly moved to the staircase. What he saw was Akira, who’s groggy vibe instantly lit up when they met eyes.

“Good evening.” Akechi took a seat at the booth; it was kind of awkward really. Akira went behind the counter to make coffee. His palms were sweaty. It was kind of hard to initiate a conversation with somebody you killed and then had a breakdown in front of and tried to kill again.

“So you lived, huh? You’re kind of overdramatic then.” Akira laughed.

He was a funny guy.

“Yeah, I barely managed to escape. I was grazed by the bullet…” He trailed off.

“Any war scars? You know like in the movies.” He wasn’t taking this seriously at all. Or maybe he wasn’t phased.  Then again Akechi should’ve expected the joker’s comedic remarks.

“I already treated the injury. The doctor said there will probably be a scar though if I take proper care of my skin you’ll barely notice it.” Well his shirts covered it up anyways so no need to worry.

“Hmm… So let’s be serious. You talked about wanting to redeem yourself from sins…” Akira brought over two cups of steaming hot coffee. Both placed on the counter with a gentle tap of the glass, “Are you going to turn yourself in?” Ah, the big question. He should’ve expected that sooner or later.

“Yes.” Akechi looked at Akira straight in the eyes, “I thought it wouldn’t be right to not tie up loose ends. That’s why I’m here after all. These past few days, I sent out letters to my foster family. I’m heading straight there after this.” In all honesty, he was originally scared of the idea. But it’s not right for the victims to have to suffer. By turning himself in he’ll give the families of the victims peace knowing the criminal has been caught. Also if he didn’t testify then the phantom thieves would, and they’d be wrongly charged as criminals. He also has the names of those who ordered for his assassinations and much more valuable information on Shido’s staff. It was his resolve to do what was right, he cannot run away from it.

Akira was grinning at him, “I’ll make sure to inform everybody else. They were really depressed you know.” That’s right, he was heavily injured and assumed dead to them. He just needed to recover and reflect on his actions.

“Yes, though I doubt they’ll wish to speak to me.” Akechi finally took a sip of his drink, it was best to not let it get cold. Considering this is the last one for a while.

“Hm, they’re not the only ones who were upset though.” And with that Akechi spit out his drink, there was a vile taste to the coffee. It was extremely spicy?! Akira only rose an amused eyebrow at him, “Is something wrong Akechi~?”

Akechi’s mouth was on fire. He quickly stood up and rushed to the counter, where an ice cold water sat. A ring of sweat formed around the napkin it sat on. He practically felt the water rush down his esophagus and was panting for air, he didn’t really have time to think as to why the coffee tasted that way.

Panting for air he looked behind the counter. With the cap loosely on was hot sauce, he noted in large bolded letters were the words “ **EXTREMELY HOT!** ”, and he paused. The look on his face must’ve caused Akira to break the poker face and start laughing.

“Why though?” Akechi asked as he coughed, trying to gloss off the incident as if it never happened. To which failed miserably.

“You’re the one who didn’t consider anybody else’s feelings with such reckless actions, didn’t even bother to contact me, your best friend about the fact you lived and broke my poor little heart.” He’s being mocked, but Akira has a point. It was kind of a dick move to not contact people who were worried, but if he did then Shido would probably find out. He didn’t trust anybody but himself by that point.

“I suppose you’re right, but did you really have to go to such measures?” Akechi asked, finally regaining his composure. His arms were crossed, the taste was still on his tongue though. This wasn’t as bad as the takiyaki at the school festival back in October _(he refuses to admit he cried in the bathroom as he washed his mouth out with water)_ but it was so childish… It was so…

It really was just like Joker.

“Yep! You’ve dealt with the final boss, my wrath. You leveled up from this by the way. Now your next quest is—” Akechi cuts him off to which Akira pouts, muttering something about not understanding his grandiose sense of humor.

“I’ve said what I needed to, I believe it’s best I get going.” Akechi didn’t want to doubt his actions, he shouldn’t be selfish and wonder about the consequences of turning himself in. He turns around to which Akira quickly gets up.

“Hold up.” Akechi turns around at the request of the other, and he sees that Akira was standing up and going back behind the counter. He crouched down and fumbled with cardboard cups. Quickly pouring the coffee into the to go cup. In his haste it was splattered all over his hand, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“You can’t leave without this.” The cup is forced into Akechi’s hands.

“Isn’t this your cup though?”

“No, one was a real coffee and the other was just a prank. I’m not thirsty.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

Akira licks the coffee off his hand, normally unsanitary, but…

“I better get going now, I’ll flip the sign for you.”

“Really? Thanks.” With that smile, that’s the last time he seeks Kurusu. Waving as he leaves the store. When he turns his back to LeBlanc, he can’t help but feel relieved. He honestly expected it to go a lot worse than it did. Maybe he was just an overly-forgiving idiot, or somebody who could accept the lowest of garbage. Yet selfishly, Akechi felt grateful to that.

He walks to the station with a red face, though he likes to think that it was the spicy coffee or the cold weather deep down he knows that isn’t why.

**Author's Note:**

> "hanamurasaki - Last Sunday at 4:53 AM  
> Akira after he murders Shido: ok akechi since you're going to jail when we here have a final cup of joe...  
> akechi: thanks aki...  
> akechi, in tears as he realizes there's hot sauce in this coffee: Why Akira"
> 
> This is what inspired this entire mess. I hope you're happy Ko. I dedicate this to you <3  
> This story was not beta'd, I wrote this in the middle of the night to morning. If you notice big errors please tell me.


End file.
